Improved washing-machine



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Z. B. RICE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVED WASHING-MACHINE.

Specilication forming part of Letters Patent No. 42,964, dated May 31, 1864.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Z. B. RICE, of- Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Washing-Machines 5 and I do vhereby declare that the following is a full,

clear, and exact description ot' the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, iu which- Figure l is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 is a top view.

Like parts are indicated by the same letters in both drawings.V

The nature of my invention consists in a certain novel combination and arrangement of a bow-lever, K, with the dasher I and rubbingboard F of a washing-machine, so that said lever shall not be in the way of the rubbing board or a person at work upon it, and all the advantages of a wash-tub and a machine are combined in a cheap, simple, and very convenient form.

My invention further consists in making the dasher I of a thin plank or board so attached to the vibrating arms G G as to be prevented from splitting, whereby said dasher may be so light as to be easily moved by the operator, and at the same time occupy much less room in the box or tub than any falling-mill dasher for a similar purpose with which I am acquainted.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will now proceed to describe its construction and (peration.

The box or tub A may be ot' any desirable size, of pine or other suitable boards, and put together with screws or nails. The general shape of the box A is clearly shown in the drawings. The front of the boxis inclined so as to be at the proper pitch for the rubbing-board F, while the bottom slopes slightly from the front to the back, as represented in Fig. 1, so that a small amount of water collected where the dasher works will be sufficient. The box or tub is supported by three legs, two, B B, attached to the sides near the back end, and one, C, under the center of the front, as represented in Fig. l, the leg C being firmly held by means of the braces D and S.

F is a rubbing-board permanently attached to the front of the box A, as represented in the drawings. The board, however, may be a removable one, if desired.

G G (the shape and size of which are shown in the drawings) are arms pivoted at their upper ends to the rod h, which is fast in the top ofthe legs B B, the latter being continued upward for that purpose. The lower extremities of these vibrating arms are shaped as seen in Fig. 1, so as to afford the requisite support to the thin dasher I, which is confined between them by nails or screws. The front of the dasher I is corrugated in the usual manner of fulling-mill dashers. Vhile being so thin, it is very light, easily worked, and occupies comparatively little room in the box, being in these respects much superior to the thick and heavy blocks in general use for a similar purpose.

K is a bow-lever, of wood or metal, the shape and relative position of which are clearly indicated in the drawings. The two ends of this lever are pivoted at l l to the cleats M M, which are fastened to the sides of the box A just back of the legs B B. This bow-lever, being made of a single continuous piece of wood, is not only cheaper, but also stronger and stiffer than a mortised frame, as well as more convenient for the operator to move around or about while at work on the rubbing'lboard, on account of its circular shape.

J J are connecting-rods attached to the sides of the lever K, and to the back side of the dasher I, as shown in the drawings. The front or curved part of the lever K extends a little beyond the front ot' the box A, forming a handle for the operator to grasp and move up and down when using the machine for Washiu g clothes between the dasher and the back end of the box, while at the same time, when the operator wishes to use the rubbing-board F, said lever will not be found at all in the way, whereas a single straight level', arranged so as to come over the center ot' the box and ruhbing-board, would be impracticable.

U and R are cleats attached to the front and rear of the machine for convenience of moving the same.

P and Q are cleats extending across the front and back of the inside of the box A, their obje-ct being to prevent the Water and suds, when agitated by the dasher, from slopping over onto the floor.

N is a plug, by removing which all the Water in the boX A may be drawn oft'. Y

A suitable quantity of clothes being put in front of the dasher may be Washed with great rapidity and comparatively little expenditure of force, a child ten years old being able to Work the machine With ease, While the great advantage of combining a most convenient tub and. rubbing-hoard with such a machine renders my invention most complete and desirable. It is also obvious that a wringing- '.nachine may be attached to the back ofthe box, the top of the legs B B being set forward as shown in Fig. 1, so as to alibi-d the requisite room for the axle and crank, so that the clothes may be Wrung or rinsed without the need of an extra tub.

Having thus described the construction and operation of my invention, whatI claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination and arrangement of the bow-lever K With the dasher I and rubbinghoard F, substantially as set forth, and for the purpose described.

Z. B. RICE.

Witnesses:

N. EVANS, Jr., N. AMES. 

